Ford Races Toward an Exciting Future

New CEO Jim Hackett looks like an inspired choice to rev up Ford’s self-driving car efforts and lift its stock.

Investors seem divided on whether the appointment of Jim Hackett as chief executive of Ford Motor this past week was an act of panic or window dressing. Hackett, a former furniture executive, spent the past year running Ford Smart Mobility, a new venture designed to prepare for a future of empty driveways and bustling, pay-as-you-go robo-cars. Does his sudden promotion mean the machines are taking over faster than expected, and that Ford must change direction in a hurry, or is the 104-year-old auto maker just playing for...